A London council has teamed up with local schools to encourage drivers to switch off their engines when not moving. The campaign is part of a wider initiative to raise awareness about the impact that idling engines have on air quality in the Capital.

Havering Borough Council in London held two days of ‘anti-idling’ action which saw local schools and council members speak to drivers about the impact of not turning off their engines on the air we breathe.

The team included local community volunteers and parents from Hilldene Primary School, Grange Road and St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, in Upminster in East London, as well as members of the Council.

According to Doctors for Extinction Rebellion, air pollution in the UK alone results in around 110 deaths every single day, or in excess of 40,000 deaths annually. London is the worst city in the country for air pollution, resulting in nearly 10,000 deaths in the Capital every year. The campaign group has also recently highlighted that as a city, London has never met the legal limit on pollutants since they were introduced in 2010.

The Council has said it will be working with other London boroughs on a series of awareness days to promote anti-idling and getting messages out to schools, businesses and delivering training to its own staff about the effects of air pollution.

Councillor Viddy Persaud of Havering Council, said:

These days of action are to raise awareness of the negative effect caused by people leaving their engines running while stationary in their cars.

Those of us who drive have all done this at one time or the other and it is just about remembering that if you are stopping for a minute or more, don’t idle, turn your engine off.

Image by Havering Borough Council

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